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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — to wash
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mug — a face
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. shower — rain
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com